Through the Window
by rachgreengeller
Summary: What if on her wedding day, Rachel realized that love never left. And on the day Ross' marriage ends , she comes back into his life but he never thought of her like that until now... An AU fic based on the one with Monica's New Roommate ... in honor of th
1. Default Chapter

This is my first in a series of R and R what ifs…. This is based on the pilot… what if Rachel had a secret crush on Ross after she leaves Barry at the altar…. These characters are the property of Bright Kaufmann and Crane Productions……….

Rachel sat on a perfectly sculptured chair. Her white train swept the gown along with her long veil. She swatted a pearl out of her face from the tiara perched on her head. On the table beside her, were silver and white packages with tags saying they were from Tiffany's or Macy's. Here in these packages lied her future.

"Where was Mindy ?" she thought. She should have been here an hour ago. Probably was running an errand, she said she had to get some panty hose or something. Her mother was talking to the wedding planner and her terrible sisters were setting their sites on the next man they could charm .

Rachel walked to the window and looked at the rain. Such a fitting metaphor , for her wedding day. Rachel had spent her whole life dreaming of her wedding day. Her and Monica used to play bride. Monica would pull a pillowcase over her head and Rachel would hold her train. They talked about the perfect man and they envisioned the day that they would become mothers. Monica told her that she would name her baby Emma if it was a girl and Daniel if it was a boy.

Monica , that's a blast from the past. Her and Monica were inseparable in high school. They did everything together. She would come over to her house and they would study , and plan , and dream. Rachel was a permanent fixture at the Geller house. She even was a part of their holidays. There was another Geller that couldn't wait to see her and that was Monica's brother , Ross.

Monica went to CIA and Rachel went away to school. At school , she acquired the same kind of shallow friends that she had in high school. Kappa Kappa Delta gave her a bid and she pledged, that was where she met Mindy. Mindy and her had a friendship, but it wasn't like before. Mindy was the type of girl who only wanted to marry money and get a rich husband and a big house.

"Honey, here's another one." Sandra Green entered the room holding a small blue and white Tiffany package. She handed it to Rachel to put on the table. Putting her arm around her , she could sense fear.

"It's okay to be nervous. Every bride is." smiled Sandra. "You are going to make Barry the perfect doctor's wife."

"But Mom, what if there is someone out there better for me than Barry?" asked Rachel as she looked deep into her mother's eyes.

"Barry will take care of you, you can't stay with us forever , sweetie. He will give you a good life." Sandra assured her. "Now I need you to say that you will put those thoughts out of your head." she said as she ran to the hotel banquet room.

As an impulse , Rachel opened the package. It was flawless and pure white perfection. She held it up to the light and it sparkled. Inside was a tiny spoon, it was so adorable. This had to be the Limoge gravy boat she saw in Tiffany's that her and Barry registered for. It was so beautiful. Barry? Mrs. Barry Farber? Just hearing that name seemed to drive her crazy. Did she really love Barry?

"I think that is everything." Carol Willick Geller said as she lifted the last box of stuff from the floor. Her lover , Susan picked up the television and started toward the elevator. She really didn't want to linger in that apartment, and she certainly didn't want to talk to the man with a beer on the couch.

"Ross, I'm leaving now." she said with a voice filled with guilt.

"Fine Carol, you should be happy , you have succeeded in destroying a man." said Ross as he bitterly sipped a beer.

"Ross, stop being so mellow dramatic. It was nothing that you did wrong. It 's just who I am." said Carol.

"Why didn't you know before this? Did I make you like women ?" he questioned with tears in his eyes. "Because there are studies that say that homosexuality is not inborn but can be acquired by a person or a certain situation." he rambled off like one of the text books he had read.

"I don't need your stupid theories to be explained to me. It is very simple. I am gay , I like women, and I am in love with Susan. We were over a long time ago, I guess I was just holding onto something." Carol admitted. She put the box down and walked over to the couch. "I loved you and I hated to see you hurt this way. You will find another." she said as she tenderly took his hand. "You're a good man, Ross Geller , and you will find love again." Tenderly she kissed his cheek. "Let me know when you get the final papers." she said as she closed the door.

Ross sat on his couch and watched the retreating figure walk out of his life. In that one moment, he was not the strong man who his father had once wanted him to be. He was the little boy who was left alone when his mommy went away. He was the little boy who cried when his mother went to the beauty parlor and he was the man who' s heart had just gotten broke.

Rachel stared at the clock on the wall. Suddenly the second hand was ticking like a time bomb. It sounded off louder and louder , and the numbers flew at her like disoriented shapes . She couldn't make heads or tails of what she was doing , the room was spinning around. She would close her eyes and then she would still feel the room spinning. There was no doubt about it… she had to get out but how? She looked around to see if anyone could spot her. She had to find a window, of course the window in the bathroom. She quietly closed the door and with her shaky white pumps, she boosted herself up onto the window sill.

Popping the window , she lowered herself to the ground. Once on the pavement below, she started to run away. Her father would be furious, not to mention the embarrassment to Barry. She just couldn't go through with it.

Oblivious to the activity of the wedding, Barry held Mindy as they kissed passionately. In her hurry to leave, Rachel didn't even notice her best friend and groom making out. She scurried past them.

A cab pulled up, "Where to Miss, what church?" said the driver obviously noticing a bride when he saw one.

"Where to from here?" thought Rachel. An obvious question. She couldn't go back to Long Island. She had no where. Then she remembered a friend from the past , her friend, she would know what to do.

"Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Corner of Bedford and Grove." Rachel said as the cab driver pulled away in the pouring rain. She hoped and prayed Monica would know what to do.

Hey there everyone...this was another result of the dreaded writers block...i promise i am updating stories better now... this story was an idea i toyed with a while ago... it is kind what if and au... i would like to dedicate it to melanie geller.. she is a really sweet person who just let me talk to her...so this is for you melanie...hope you enjoy this story...


	2. First Visit to the Perk

Rachel got out of the cab, unfortunately it was still raining. Her hair was now wet and stringy and her gown frayed at the train. Hiking it up , she stepped through the puddles and pulled a twenty from her small bag.

"Think nothing of it. Happy Wedding Day." the cabby smiled as he pulled away. Rachel looked at the front of the building . She was used to beautiful houses that were clean , not city apartment buildings. Rachel had gotten the address from her mother a long time ago and vaintly remembered coming here when Monica was a teenager. She tried to remember Monica 's grandmother's apartment number.

A man dressed in blue overalls was inside the hallway as Rachel ran in the doorway to temporarily escape the rain. He took one look and smiled at the beautiful girl.

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked. "Do you know where I can find Monica Geller?"

The man looked at her puzzled and then she described her. He told her that she could possibly be found at this coffee house around the corner, Central Perk. She would be with a couple of guys. Rachel took a large breath and began to run toward the window that read Central Perk.

It was cold and it was raining. It felt like just the way Ross felt. He was hoping that by meeting his sister and their friends, the pain would go away. He shook his large black umbrella and a cab whisked by splashing him from head to toe. "Damnit ." he cried.

Opening the door, he slowly walked to the orange couch in the middle of the coffee shop. It was their place. Monica was going on and didn't even know he was there until he muttered in the most depressing voice he could, "Hi."

"This guy says hello, I want to kill myself." said the handsome Italian actor in an effort to be funny. Ross just looked at him with the most pitiful look in his eyes. Monica put her arms around her big brother in an effort to make him feel better.

"Carol moved her stuff out today." Monica explained to everyone. Ross sat slumped on the couch , unsure of whether he wanted the world to know or wanting pity as the embittered husband. Everyone looked over at him as if, they wanted to hold him and say everything would be alright. There was total silence.

"And you never had any clue she was a lesbian." said Joey. Ross was beginning to get annoyed with Joey's line of questioning. He knew how lesbians turned him on. Joey could literally close his eyes and picture the former Mrs. Geller and her lover and be satisfied. But then again, Joey loved women and Joey loved sex. He had never had a long term relationship, just a little black book for women who wanted the "Joey love." as he called it.

Ross on the other hand, loved having a woman he could share his life with. Someone he could plan and dream , and someday have children with. All of those plans , all of those dreams were now shattered.

"All I want to be is married ." Ross lamented. At that exact moment, a vision in white burst into the coffee house dressed in a soaked wedding gown.

Rachel had found her. "Monica, oh my God, you're here, I went to your building and some guy with a big hammer said you were here and you are , you are." she squealed as she ran into Monica's arms.

Monica looked shocked., she had heard from her mother that today Rachel was getting married to some doctor at the Plaza. Why would Rachel find her on of all days her wedding day?

Ross looked over. Rachel Green? Rachel Green , the Rachel Green , didn't she used to hang around his room when Monica had an errand or something? He could always count on her smiling face when he was having trouble with a paper for biology or something.

After calming her down and warming her up, Monica proceeded to introduce Rachel to her friends. Joey looked her up and down and smiled. This was a hot chick and if she was going to be staying around with Monica, she would definitely be getting some of the Joey lovin.

A blonde girl wearing a white peasant blouse with an embroidered vest introduced herself as Phoebe. Another face looked all to familiar to Rachel. Monica had told her that she had a crush on this one guy a long time ago. Rachel wondered if that was the same guy.

"Is your name Chauncey or Charles?" Rachel asked the guy wearing the sweater vest curiously.

"Actually it's Chandler." he said. "Wait a minute , Rachel . We met a very long time ago. Thanksgiving at Monica's ."and then a smile went to his face as he remembered a faceless one night stand in a bar. It was her.

"Oh yeah , you had come home with Monica's brother." said Rachel.

"Oh and of course you remember my brother , Ross." said Monica. Rachel shyly turned and faced him. She had remembered him looking a lot different, but he had gotten better with time. His hair was shorter and he had gotten rid of that mustache. Rachel flipped her hair and smiled at him. He was trying to find her back in his memory. He could, but it was just too painful, she never showed any feelings for him and quickly she was dismissed from his mind.

"Sure." she said happily. This was Ross but wasn't he married? That was like years ago. She always thought he was cute in a shy bookish sort of way. She didn't dare say anything to anyone because she was popular and he was not. But they weren't at Lincoln anymore were they?

Hours later, Monica had gone out on a date. He was some guy that came into her restaurant. Ross had invited her to his place as Joey , Chandler , and himself were putting together furniture to replace everything that Carol took. Rachel instead chose to sit alone and think about how her life was going to change.

With everyone gone, she sat in thought as the television blared. Suddenly she noticed they were showing an old rerun of Happy Days. It brought a smile to her face. It also brought a tear to her eye as Joanie was marrying Chachi .

"But you see, Joanie Loves Chachi, that's the difference." she sighed holding her wedding gown. Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

She got up and walked toward the door.

"Who is it." she said cautious of people in the big city.

"It's Ross." he said . Rachel opened the door. "I thought maybe you'd like to get a bite to eat."

"Come to think of it. I haven't had anything to eat all day." Rachel said. "Let me grab my coat. Maybe I'll grab Monica's since I still have to move everything from my parents to here." she laughed.

"After you." he said as she passed through the doorway. Maybe this was the start of something new.


End file.
